The Alabama Department of Public Health announced Friday (Jan. 8) that COVID-19 vaccinations will be available statewide beginning Jan. 18 on a first come, first serve appointment-only basis for people 75 years or older and first responders, including law enforcement and firefighters.
To schedule an appointment for the free COVID-19 vaccination at a county health department, individuals may call the ADPH toll-free phone number at 1-855-566-5333. Telephone calls are answered from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. seven days a week.
Vaccination locations can be viewed at this link, https://go.usa.gov/xARKp.
Nearly 350,000 people in the state of Alabama would qualify for a vaccine at 75 years old and older, according to ADPH. The addition of these groups is not a full expansion into the next phase of the vaccine rollout, ADPH officials said. Alabama continues to vaccinate more than 326,000 health care workers and nursing home residents who are most at-risk of contracting COVID-19, but to prevent any loss of vaccine due to cold storage requirements, ADPH is encouraging sites to vaccinate persons in the 75-plus age group and those in the law enforcement and firefighter vocations.
High demand for vaccine
“We recognize that demand for vaccine exceeds supply,” said State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris. “While there is still an insufficient amount of the vaccine supply, we want to maximize our resources to help protect Alabamians at high risk. County health departments are working with their local points of distribution to assess what their vaccination reach has been. Decisions about the next groups to vaccinate are made at the community level with community engagement. If the very high-risk population has been covered adequately, providers can then begin vaccinating people in the other priority groups.”
Friday’s news immediately overwhelmed the ADPH appointment hotline and many hospital switchboards across the state due to heavy call volume. The ADPH put out a statement over the weekend asking individuals to call only the ADPH toll-free phone number at 1-855-566-5333 to schedule an appointment.
“While hospitals in a few areas of the state have begun vaccinating those 75 years of age and older, most are still working to make sure their frontline workers are vaccinated. Additional information will be provided when hospitals and locations other than county health departments have vaccine available for additional groups,” an ADPH spokesperson said in a statement issued Jan. 9.
Patience urged
“It is critical for everyone to remain patient; demand is high, and supply is low. ADPH and their partners are working around-the-clock to assist as many people as they can,” said Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.
Additional specific information, such as what to bring and what to wear, will be provided when appointments are made.
For information about the COVID-19 vaccines, visit https://go.usa.gov/xARKE. (TAB/alabamapublichealth.gov)
EDITOR’S NOTE — For more information about COVID-19 vaccinations and ethical concerns, click here.
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